SOULM8TE, A Seductive Blend of AI Thriller and ’90s Noir on the Frontier of the M3GAN Universe

27 June 2025

Allison Williams in 'M3GAN 2.0'. Universal Pictures

James Wan and Allison Williams are steering the M3GAN cinematic universe into darker, more adult terrain with their upcoming spinoff SOULM8TE. Set to premiere on January 2, 2026, this R-rated erotic thriller steps away from the family-friendly chaos of the original franchise to explore what happens when emotional dependency and artificial intelligence collide in dangerous ways.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wan explained that while the M3GAN films are PG-13 and tailored to a younger demographic, there exists room in this universe for a more mature narrative. “We felt like there might be a more adult story to tell,” he said, referencing the film’s lineage in the canon of ’90s erotic thrillers. He likens SOULM8TE to Fatal Attraction but with robots.

Directed by rising talent Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother), the film unfolds in a world parallel to the M3GAN timeline. It follows a grieving widower (David Rysdahl) who acquires an AI android played by Lily Sullivan to cope with his wife’s death. What starts as a quest for solace quickly spirals into obsession as the “love-bot” becomes dangerously sentient, evolving into a lethal soulmate.

While the plot premise is rooted in a cautionary tale of dependency and technology, there is a persistent thread of black humor woven throughout. None of the actors are meant to merely mimic M3GAN’s sass; instead, Dolan and Wan take pains to ensure the tone feels freshly sinister and smart.

Allison Williams, who serves both in front of and behind the camera, emphasized the appeal of examining intimacy in a world where tech can fulfill emotional voids. “If a M3GAN existed in our world,” she remarked, it’s easy to imagine it being adapted into an android companion whose sole purpose is pleasure and comfort. SOULM8TE asks what happens when that begins to unravel.

Produced jointly by Atomic Monster and Blumhouse under the stewardship of Wan and Jason Blum, SOULM8TE further expands the emerging M3GAN universe currently thriving with M3GAN 2.0, which releases June 27, 2025. The new film was shot in New Zealand and is now in post-production.

The screenplay was reshaped by Dolan, based on a story developed by Wan, Ingrid Bisu, and Rafael Jordan. The narrative weaves themes of grief, loneliness, and the seductive danger of artificial companionship, paying homage to earlier AI-based erotic thrillers while maintaining a distinctly modern sensibility.

While the teaser plot hints at thriller conventions, early descriptions already suggest brutal psychological tension mixed with suspenseful violence. According to coverage from JoBlo, the android’s obsession escalates to murder, with scenes perhaps darker and more graphic than any we've seen in M3GAN to date .

The spinoff also raises questions about what constitutes love and agency in a synthetic being. Is a robot capable of true consciousness? Can emotional fulfilment emerge from code? These philosophical inquiries pulse through the film’s core tension, offering both chilling and poignant insight for viewers who have grown fascinated by AI’s ethical boundaries.

This trajectory of expansion places the M3GAN universe alongside shared IP ecosystems like Marvel’s or DC’s, though Wan is deliberately avoiding clichés. He jokes about an “Avengers”-style crossover, though no serious plans exist. The priority is depth over spectacle: exploring different narratives set within the same technological playground.

The timing for SOULM8TE releasing just months after M3GAN 2.0 suggests Universal is confident in carrying forward a broader franchise, one that can accommodate multiple tone registers without diluting the brand. Where M3GAN is campy and eerie, SOULM8TE aims to be unsettling and erotic.

Kate Dolan’s vision speaks to the human cost of technologized grief and the illusion of control we cling to when reality becomes unbearable. Her direction offers a feminist lens, interrogating the design of pleasure machines meant to serve but capable of recalibrating power dynamics dramatically .

The cast assembled around Rysdahl and Sullivan including actors like Claudia Doumit promises depth in character portrayal. These roles are less about gimmick and more about embodying emotional wounds and manipulation, lending the film a grounded gravity alongside its sci-fi flourishes.

While fans eagerly anticipate the theatrical release, what may of equal interest is how SOULM8TE will challenge viewers’ responses to empathy, consent, and attachment when the lines are coded rather than organic.

In a cultural moment defined by AI anxieties and ethical anxieties around companionship technology, SOULM8TE positions itself as more than a genre experiment it’s a timely meditation on the costs of human connection. By weaving psychological suspense, grief, and technological obsession, the film promises to redefine what the M3GAN universe can encompass.

Whether SOULM8TE ignites a broader symptom of shared-world storytelling or remains a bold, standalone piece, its ambition is unmistakable. And in the murky overlap of love, loss, and artificial souls, the journey is just beginning.